Alex Laybourne ‘Diaries of the Damned’ Review

Written by: Myra Gabor

The theme here isn’t gore, or even action. It’s how individuals rise or fall to meet extraordinary situations. Will they conquer their fears in order to cope with their new world, will they figure out why their world has changed and will they be able to beat back the zombie hordes or will they have to learn to live with this ever-present danger.

I’m not a huge fan of zombie books, but Alex Laybourne has delivered a good one. The zombies are on the move again. But these are not your typical slow, shambling zombies. Laybourne’s zombies can move and they move with purpose. Not only do they have the typical zombie hunger for living things, but they also continue to feel whatever urges they had at the moment they were turned.

The living are trying to escape on airplanes, destinations unknown. We meet nine of these individuals who tell their stories to the tabloid journalist who also managed to get on the plane. That is the basis of the book.

We hear the stories of the journalist, then the stewardess, the paramedic, the student, the office worker, the recently unemployed, the pregnant couple, the worker whose mind had snapped under the pressure and the security guard at an army base. In other words, a good cross section of society.

We piece together how their world changed through hearing their stories. Each person adds what he knows to the general knowledge of what happened.

There is lots of action. And gore. Everyone has had a hair raising escape in order to reach the airport and the possibility of safety. Bodies are ripped apart in loving detail, but as the story goes on, we become numb to the gore. It is the same with the protagonists. We feel what they feel. And feel they do, until the reality and the horror of their new world numbs all their feelings. They realize that they cannot save their families, so their mantra becomes survive no matter the cost.

The ending did come as a surprise even though there were hints of it scattered throughout the book. All in all a good read and worth your time.

Order it here.

Rating: 4/5